“This is a humanitarian crisis,” said Abdirahman Muse, a former Wells Fargo customer. “Hawalas are the only way we can send money to our brothers and sisters. Many people rely on us to put food on the table.”

Wells Fargo stopped working with Hawalas in 2008. Protesters say the big bank now has an opportunity to be a leader and begin providing assistance.

“They are letting our families die,” said Shukri Hassan, a former Wells Fargo customer. “By not letting us work with them our families… brothers and sisters are dying of hunger.”

A spokeswoman for Wells Fargo says they hate to see customers leave. A regional leadership team from Minnesota plans to meet with members of the Somali community next week.

Edgar Linares moved to the Twin Cities 24 hours before the largest December snowstorm in state history.
He moved from Boise, Idaho, where he worked as a morning reporter at KTVB, an NBC affiliate. There he was an essential part of a news team that...

Stopped working with them in 2008 and now they figure Wells is a good target for PR? Give me a break folks. Make some real effort to getting your house in order and then it is very likely those of us whose ancestors sincerely did everything they could to assimilate as Americans will extend a helping hand!

When ALL welfare/entitlement payments STOP towards this community, then I say it is OK for them to send money whereever they want. Shame though, you would think that they would embrace and appreciate THIS country *more* than they do. If they don’t like it, maybe we can persuade them to get on a cruise ship to go there with a ONE WAY TICKET. Hope the pirates don’t hijack it though….

TOTALLY AGREE Brett, I HATE the fact my tax dollars are going to give the Somali community rent subsidies, food stamps, freebies at every charitable event i.e toys for tots (which is a Christian holiday, not a Muslim) and you see Somali’s walking out with bag and bags of toys. When all these handouts stop and they actually try to assimilate into our society instead of insisting on us bending to thier wills.. then maybe they can send their money abroad. But there are other avenues available to them i.e Dubai.. they are just too lazy to go the extra step or two to use them.

Somali people are hard working. you should see their business including Hawala companies. we are tax payers as well. People have to accept that we can’t change our culture and religion. We are very strong community who will never assimilate other ppl. soon we are going to build our Somalia with our knowledge that we learn from here. 20 yrs ago I have never thought that I would leave US ,but now I will move out as soon as Somalia is built. Leave this country, the cold MN and harassment of IRS which would never leave our hard earned dollars alone . I can’t work hard for IRS and I don’t support how my dollars are spent. Believe me most of Somalis are here temporarily. US educated young men and women are trying to build our home so we can go back and live where our culture and religion is well practiced.

Wow! So fast to insult the land that gave you refuge when your own country was in shambles. Perhaps you would have been better off to stay in Somalia instead of running with your tail between your legs. Get out of my cold MN. I love it here and I love paying the IRS because it means I’m not in Somalia or any other country in the world. Please leave because I like the way MY culture and religion is practiced. You don’t see Americans flooding to other countries and asking for refuge.

Your proud to be a coward who ran from Somalia instead of fighting to make your country great. You run like a little school girl then come to MY country America where you suck off the welfare system……your a coward and you are to blame for Somalia being a nation of blood…..you are a POS….

Maybe it’s time for me to open an account at Wells Fargo. At least they are showing SOME backbone. I’m sure that they don’t make a ton of money off of this community. The ‘community’ uses THEM to finance terrorism, pirating, and God knows what else.

PLEASE LEAVE IMMEDIATLY, PRONTO. Are you so unaware or the money or lives that have been lost or severely damaged to try and help ‘your’ people?? Are you still living in the STONE AGE, or what?? Where is YOUR APPRECIATION for the EFFORTS voluntarily by this great nation to help your people?? Any parades coming down the road, by you tribe, to ‘honor’ our soldiers?? I CAN’T WAIT.

Frank is referring ti “inbreeding”. I hope Frank and Fatxiya don’t end up breeding, because we’d get double duty liberals. Got more liberals than we need now. One reason this state is so full of slugs.

I can understand the frustration they might feel, but it’s the political situation in their homeland that is at fault – it’s not the fault of the bank or the American people that the situation is so dire there. The world has tried to help. It’s not the world’s place to offer asslym AND fight their battles as well.

Goldy…many of our ancestors left a place in turmoil to find a better life. That’s correct, but you must be overlooking a minor detail. At least my ancestors brought what they had along, never took handouts (because there were none) and worked their a–es off to make a living. Just curious, what color is the sky in your world?

When my ancestors came here from Europe they immediately began assimilating into the culture of the United States of America. That included learning the English language and adapting to American culture, customs, morals, ethics, etc.

While they retained pride in their heritage, they joined with everyone else to make the United States their allegiance to this country and their God.

All of the above is 180° different from the Somalis who are here now. Perhaps if they assimilated they would be more welcome.

Actually, most first generation immigrants have trouble assimilating. The nest generation has an easier time. Sort of like why we still have Chinatowns, Little Italy, Hmong markets, Germantown, etc all over the country.

Racism is caused by ignorance instead of really getting to know someone its easy to make judgments. We are judged according to our skin, clothes we wear and being a Muslim. These can be negative assumptions such as all Somalis are on welfare, we don’t pay tax etc..This can easily be proven wrong, there are plenty of Somalis who are hard working. Some even base their bias on global events such as terrorism, pirates etc. There more Muslims killed by terrorist then other religions and pirates hijack everyday humanitarian foods to starving Somalis. The term “American “refers to people that are part of our country, of any race not only Caucasians. America is for Native Americans everyone else came over from somewhere and if you don’t want to accept other people for who they are; why don’t you get back on the boat and go back to wherever your ancestors are from? I hope everyone does their research before accepting stereotypes. We are all humans, we all have the same basic instincts and emotions and we all should work together for the good of our great country..

i don’t blame human like u, coz u have never been were we are today and as of our land God decides that not unhuman like u. one day life will not be on ur hand dn’t just talk for the sake of talking think.

djp, obviously you are a ignorant unethical racist person. How can you say such thing? You ask why dont they go back to their own land? Why don’t you question why it is that they have to now come to America? You lack knowledge and I suggest now speaking or saying anything so ignorant when you are not well informed at all. It is people like you that is wrong with America.

as of i was reading al this comments i was so disapointed at all those who wrote negative thing about the somali community, this is so funny all they could say how we were being given welfare and what the goverment was providding for the somali’s family. do i assume ur mad at somali’s beacuse we get welfare.lol that is so sad and cheap of u all, as of a question have u think beyond that of how many people are dying for hunger and all u could think is ur still bluffing of how u want us to suffer and our family to die beacause ur assuming we are all parates and terrorist, etc.. are u the ppl talking of killing while u kill them selves day and nite shotting each other for no reason, and commiting crimes of raping ur own kids. so be it but please don’t have gruges and don’t others while u dn’t have any prove of abything..

@GOLDY: I am an immigrant as was my whole family. My father was 52 when we came here and he too learned English. We never sought nor received ANY sort of welfare because as Americans (of X origin), we worked or starved by our own hands and sweat. My children and sibling’s children are 1st generation Americans and they take their parents’ mother tongue as a foreign language.